Exchange program: Russian visitors study autism

Published: Sunday, April 21, 2013 at 10:15 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, April 21, 2013 at 10:15 a.m.

A slide flashed on a screen in the community room at Blue Ridge Community Health Services. The words had no meaning to most of the people in the room. They were in Russian.

One by one, however, several Russian speakers approached the podium Wednesday and, with the help of a translator, expressed a passion and desire to learn more about autism. A delegation of Russians traveled to Hendersonville this past week as part of Open World, a U.S. exchange program set up by Congress and run by the Open World Leadership Center.

The health care system in Russia is just beginning to recognize and learn more about autism, they said. According to the delegation, there’s not enough information to make the diagnosis or enough specialists to treat it. The program, Autism is Curable, has been set up to examine the disorder in Russia. It serves as an umbrella organization for various groups represented in the Russian delegation.

Representatives included those from the Sail of Hope Rehabilitation Center for Children and Adolescents, Inclusive Preschool and Kindergarten 167, and the Way Out Foundation for Autism. All of these groups are fairly new. Russia, like the United States in the 1990s, is just beginning to delve into the world of autism.

The delegation was hosted by Friendship Force, and the visitors received a heavy dose of information.

Bill and Judy Wilkes were their hosts. The Hendersonville residents set up an itinerary that was beneficial, Anastasiya Korniyenko said. Korniyenko, the Library of Congress Russian Projects coordinator, was the facilitator of the event.

“It’s such a wonderful feeling,” she said of the group’s first trip to America. “They tailored the program specifically to their needs.”

The weeklong trip included tours of Hendersonville Elementary School, Blue Ridge Community Health Services, TEACCH, which is an autism program through UNC Chapel Hill in Asheville, and St. Gerard’s House, a school for special needs children in Hendersonville.

The group was surprised by the inclusion of special needs children in the public school system when they visited Hendersonville Elementary.

At St. Gerard’s House, the delegation soaked in as much information as possible, Caroline Long said. Long, who started and runs St. Gerard’s House, showed them the ins and outs of the school’s technique of applied behavior analysis.

“They spent a lot of time and asked a lot of questions,” she said.

The contingent returned home on Saturday, Wilkes said. As a member of Friendship Force, Wilkes and other volunteers were responsible for the delegation for the entire week.

“They stay in our homes,” he said.

Hendersonville residents Bernie and Sandy Fox hosted members of the delegation in their home. They said they like the inclusiveness that Friendship Force represents.

“We’re all one,” Sandy Fox said. “There’s no difference between us.”

For the Russian contingent, it was a trip well spent, Korniyenko said.

“They already picked up a lot of things they’d like to use back home,” she said.

For more information on Open World, visit www.openworld.gov. For more on Friendship Force, visit www.ffwnc.org.

<p>A slide flashed on a screen in the community room at Blue Ridge Community Health Services. The words had no meaning to most of the people in the room. They were in Russian.</p><p>One by one, however, several Russian speakers approached the podium Wednesday and, with the help of a translator, expressed a passion and desire to learn more about autism. A delegation of Russians traveled to Hendersonville this past week as part of Open World, a U.S. exchange program set up by Congress and run by the Open World Leadership Center.</p><p>The health care system in Russia is just beginning to recognize and learn more about autism, they said. According to the delegation, there's not enough information to make the diagnosis or enough specialists to treat it. The program, Autism is Curable, has been set up to examine the disorder in Russia. It serves as an umbrella organization for various groups represented in the Russian delegation. </p><p>Representatives included those from the Sail of Hope Rehabilitation Center for Children and Adolescents, Inclusive Preschool and Kindergarten 167, and the Way Out Foundation for Autism. All of these groups are fairly new. Russia, like the United States in the 1990s, is just beginning to delve into the world of autism. </p><p>The delegation was hosted by Friendship Force, and the visitors received a heavy dose of information. </p><p>Bill and Judy Wilkes were their hosts. The Hendersonville residents set up an itinerary that was beneficial, Anastasiya Korniyenko said. Korniyenko, the Library of Congress Russian Projects coordinator, was the facilitator of the event. </p><p>“It's such a wonderful feeling,” she said of the group's first trip to America. “They tailored the program specifically to their needs.” </p><p>The weeklong trip included tours of Hendersonville Elementary School, Blue Ridge Community Health Services, TEACCH, which is an autism program through UNC Chapel Hill in Asheville, and St. Gerard's House, a school for special needs children in Hendersonville. </p><p>The group was surprised by the inclusion of special needs children in the public school system when they visited Hendersonville Elementary. </p><p>At St. Gerard's House, the delegation soaked in as much information as possible, Caroline Long said. Long, who started and runs St. Gerard's House, showed them the ins and outs of the school's technique of applied behavior analysis. </p><p>“They spent a lot of time and asked a lot of questions,” she said. </p><p>The contingent returned home on Saturday, Wilkes said. As a member of Friendship Force, Wilkes and other volunteers were responsible for the delegation for the entire week. </p><p>“They stay in our homes,” he said. </p><p>Hendersonville residents Bernie and Sandy Fox hosted members of the delegation in their home. They said they like the inclusiveness that Friendship Force represents. </p><p>“We're all one,” Sandy Fox said. “There's no difference between us.” </p><p>For the Russian contingent, it was a trip well spent, Korniyenko said. </p><p>“They already picked up a lot of things they'd like to use back home,” she said. </p><p>For more information on Open World, visit www.openworld.gov. For more on Friendship Force, visit www.ffwnc.org.</p>